Vikings punter and friend of the blogosphere Chris Kluwe has repeatedly voiced his support for gay marriage rights, most notably by offering a blistering critique of the Maryland delegate who lashed out at Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo for his being accepting of the gays. Kluwe isn’t content to just be a friend of the gays. He’s offering himself as a sex object as well. Kluwe is appearing on the cover of this month’s issue of OUT Magazine and appears shirtless within.

Signs that the culture of intolerance in the NFL, regardless of the marriage debate, is on the wane are frequent and continually surfacing. But you know a bunch of football players are still leery of the gays, even if their agent tells them never to talk about it. It’d be interesting what to see what it would look like if they could be honest about their feelings.

As a non-traditional male reader, I think what Chris Kluwe is doing is pretty motherfucking remarkable. Especially since (as far as I know) he doesn’t have any special, personal connection to the gay community. He’s just speaking out because he’s got a bit of a platform and it’s the right thing to do. Huzzah, punter!

I agree completely. What he’s doing is extremely important to me. If I remember correctly, his brother-in-law is gay, not that he needs a personal connection to be doing what he is. I really hope more people start doing things like him.

@Princecoyote
How can someone’s brother-in-law be gay (unless his sister’s husband came out after they were married)? And if that’s the case it is even more impressive that he doesn’t have any I’ll will towards the guy.

Speaking of Punters, I wish I had giffing abilities from the Rams/Seahawks game on Sunday. The Rams rookie DL Brockers was limping off the sideline helped by two trainers, and as he headed for the bench, all 3 specialists slid over there like they weren’t allowed on that bench. So awesome.

In all real honesty, I give Kluwe a LOT of fucking credit for nuttin’ up and standing out in a pretty polarized atmosphere. I also think he gives a real positive image for other young men to see that being a homosexual does not mean you are a sissy or “less” of a man. It is also good for straight men to reinforce against other stereotypes of gay men, and football is a great way to bridge the gap. Look at it this way, when the dude next to you at Buffalo Wild Wings is rooting for the same football team as you, what in Kahless’ Beard does it matter what his particular sexual preference is? You are just two guys watching football and having fun.

Why isn’t there a photoshop of Cutler on the cover of Cat Fancy? Also, it’s nice to see rational quasi-celebrities acting rational, rather than batshit crazy left or right winger celebutards throwing one liners out in the media about a complex platform. Bravo to Kluwe for leading by example.

Chris Kluwe has:
– Supported gay rights
– Punted a football well for many years
– Defended another player’s right to speak his opinion
– Told Peter King he was full of shit for ripping on Matt Dodge
– Played the bass in a pretty decent grunge band (Tripping Icarus)
– Donated lots of money to charity
– Enabled Vikings fans to keep their Favre jerseys just by changing the name

Yes, he’s just a punter. But he still deserves a lot of respect for his bravery in the face of homophobic NFL players and the wishywashy Peter King.